


what's in a name

by rocks



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Post-Timeskip, Pre-Relationship, awkward idiots, first names, for now but highkey probably next week is going to flush it down the toilet but we can just pretend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocks/pseuds/rocks
Summary: For the first seven years of knowing each other, Hinata and Kageyama call each other by their last names. It’s just normal - they started off just teammates, and along the way it just never became important what names they called each other by even as they became friends. And as Hinata became more and more popular and made more and more adoring close friends who called him by his first name, it didn’t matter to Kageyama, because they were still rivals.For seven years, things stay the same.Then, the day after the Adlers vs. Jackals match, it’s suddenly a problem.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, but only really very slightly
Comments: 23
Kudos: 237





	what's in a name

**Author's Note:**

> so i used to be like dang are first names really that big a deal and i would make a face when i saw it in fanfics but then i listened to the haikyuu radio with murase ayumu and ishikawa kaito and their constant "kaito-kun" and "ayu" is actually.... kinda cute.... so then i wrote this. originally it was going to be more shippy but then i was like hm lowkey its kinda cute without it so the kagehina is more just implied sorry if you're looking for the ~romance~ cus it ain't here!!!

At first, it doesn’t even register with Kageyama. Brazil has none of the naming formalities as Japan, so it’s not weird at all when everyone on the street, even strangers, calls Hinata “Shoyo”, or on the beach, “Ninja Shoyo”. 

It’s also not weird when Hinata finally comes back to Japan and joins the Black Jackals, and a live television segment documents Bokuto loudly proclaiming that Shoyo has always been his protege and that he’s so excited to play on the same team. After all, it is true that Bokuto and Hinata had gotten emotionally attached from their first training camp together, and Bokuto had called him by his given name since the beginning.

Kageyama only really begins to notice when a completely separate television broadcast, a sort of insider special on the Jackals, shows Miya Atsumu tacking Hinata to the ground right before a game and declaring “Shoyo-kun, I love you!” as Hinata laughs and says “I love you too Atsumu-san!” 

No one really knows the context of that one; the camera hadn’t caught the preceding conversation and fan pages were exceedingly quick to spread the clip across the internet without any semblance of explanation. But it’s well known in the volleyball community that Miya and Hinata have known each other for a long time, and Miya has really also called him Shoyo from the beginning. It’s just surprising, is all, when Hinata calls him Atsumu back. As far as Kageyama can remember, the two of them had really disliked the Miya twins back in high school, and it was bizarre to see the two of them so close.

Even when they’re finally reunited as fated rivals on the pro stage, Hinata grins and points a finger towards him and declares, “I’ll beat you this time, Kageyama!”

To which he responds, “I’ll definitely be the one to win, Hinata.”

Even Romero calls him Ninja Shoyo, Kageyama notes (with confusion, Hinata is loud and clumsy off-court and essentially as far as a ninja you can get.) And after the game, when Hinata’s won this one but Kageyama is sure he’ll get the next, Hinata’s old friends, the ones who had been on his team that fated game in middle school, run up to him shouting “Shou-chan!” and unabashedly crying.

For the first seven years of knowing each other, Hinata and Kageyama call each other by their last names. Sometimes Hinata shoots a goading “Kageyama-kuuuun” when he’s challenging him to something, and in their first year of high school Kageyama might have called Hinata “dumbass” more times than his actual name, but it’s all just normal - they started off just teammates, and along the way it just never became important what names they called each other by even as they became friends. And as Hinata became more and more popular and made more and more adoring close friends who called him by his first name, it didn’t matter to Kageyama, because they were still rivals.

For seven years, things stay the same.

Then, the day after the Adlers vs. Jackals match, it’s suddenly a problem. 

It happens like this: the five of them in the same graduating year go out for lunch, as it’s a very rare day where all five are in the same place at once and Tsukishima, Kageyama, and Hinata all have free days in their busy pro schedules.

Just as they’re finishing their meal, Hinata receives a facetime call and picks up.

His speaker blares, “Shoyo-chan!”

And Hinata responds, “Tooru-san!”

And Kageyama’s mind shorts out trying to process this new information.

Hinata shoves the phone directly in front of his eyeballs. “Tooru-san is talking to you, you know.”

With a jolt, Kageyama comes back to life, only to hear Oikawa gloating about something like “how does it feel to be publicly creamed by Shoyo-chan, it’s such a shame my genius kohai was beat to a pulp by that Miya Atsumu, also I only watched the game for Shoyo, not for you Tobio-chan so don’t get it twisted” and he kind of wants to punch Oikawa through the phone. Before he can break any electronics, though, Hinata takes his phone back, finishes talking to Oikawa with a “let’s meet again soon Tooru-san!” and hangs up.

Yamaguchi smiles. “Man, that Oikawa is still trying to compete with you, huh Kageyama?”

Completely ignoring him, Kageyama just says, “Since when were you and Oikawa that close?”

Yachi leans over, not noticing Kageyama’s utter state of shock, to look at Hinata’s phone. “Right? I’d heard you guys became friends in Brazil, but I’m surprised he’d go out of his way to watch your match and call you with congratulations!”

Hinata nods, “Well, we actually met up a bunch of times and played a lot of volleyball together, because we were so much closer to each other than, you know, everyone else. And it was also easier to text him in the same time zone.” He turns his attention to Kageyama. “But you should know that already, Kageyama-kun! I mean, didn’t you see our selfies?”

Oh god, he had. Every time the two of them met they would send increasingly ridiculous selfies to all their mutual acquaintances in Japan. “But I didn’t know… he called you…” Kageyama sputters.

“Ah, Shoyo-chan? What can I say, the Grand King and I are just best friends now.” Hinata nods sagely.

“Kageyama, are you okay? You look like you’re choking,” says Yamaguchi, and as the whole table turns to look at him, it’s true that Kageyama is looking somewhat blue in the face.

“Wow, I didn’t know it bothered you that much. He calls you Tobio-chan, doesn’t he?” 

Kageyama waves his hands vaguely, somewhat embarrassed by Hinata just saying his given name, even quoting someone else. “But that’s…”

“Oh! I get it. You’re jealous that I call him Tooru! Hey, we’ve all been friends for so long, we should start calling each other by our first names, huh?” Hinata proposes.

“I want no part in this,” Tsukishima says, and stands up to leave.

“Aw, Kei-kun, don’t be like that,” replies Hinata, but he quickly backs down under Tsukishima’s withering gaze. 

He smirks. “That’s what I thought, Hinata. But I actually have to go somewhere now. It was nice catching up.”

“Ah, me too,” says Yamaguchi. “It was really great to see you guys! And you can absolutely call me Tadashi if you want.”

Hinata beams. “Bye, Tadashi!”

“Bye, Shoyo!”

Yachi also gathers her belongings. “If everyone else is leaving, I actually have a bunch of tests next week I have to study for. So, um… bye… Shoyo-kun! And bye… ah…” She looks at Kageyama, who gives her little indication of how to respond. “Bye Kageyama-kun!”

Hinata calls out a “bye Hitoka-chan!” as she scrambles out of the cafe, and just as she reaches the door, she grins back over her shoulder before she’s gone, too. He turns back to Kageyama. “Do you have anything else to do today? Because I don’t really.”

Kageyama shakes his head.

“Ah, then let’s hang out today! Should we go do something fun? Or you could toss for me, Tobio!”

Kageyama hopes the heat he feels in his face isn’t visible. What is this? When Hinata says his name Kageyama can’t help but feel weirdly embarrassed, like this is something too intimate, even though it’s really just his name. It’s just that Hinata says it so adoringly, like he’s just so happy to be with Kageyama. He’s never heard anyone say his name that way.

Belatedly, Kageyama realizes he hasn’t responded, but it’s too late. Hinata is leaning into his personal space, putting his hand on Kageyama’s forehead. “Seriously, Tobio, are you feeling okay today? I usually expect you to be trying to hit me at this point. Or glaring at me like Tsukishima just did.”

“It’s nothing,” growls Kageyama, swatting his hand away. “Let’s just go play volleyball or something.” He aggressively pushes his chair away from the table and begins walking to the door.

As Hinata hurries to catch up, he exclaims, “Oh! I understand now!”

“There’s nothing to understand, dumbass, just-”

“You’re embarrassed! It must be so hard having such a scary face, Tobio-kun, I bet everyone’s so scared of you that no one calls you by your first name!”

On the one hand, it’s kind of true. People only ever really call him Tobio if they’re family, or in Oikawa’s case, just because they’re already Like That. But Hinata, everyone calls him Shoyo because they adore him, or they’re best friends with him. 

On the other, Hinata is being annoying, so Kageyama roars at him, face incriminatingly red. “I’m not embarrassed, stupid, you’re just being annoying!”

“Gosh, I know it’s your first time, but you’re acting like such a blushing virgin. It’s just your name, isn’t it?”

“Well, what if I c-called you… called you Shoyo, huh?”

That effectively shuts him up. Kageyama vaguely registers that over Hinata’s tan, he no longer looks like such a tomato when he blushes.

“See! It’s weird! How can you make fun of me when you react like-” Kageyama gestures furiously.

“No, it’s not weird! It’s fine! ” Hinata declares, bravely trying to gloss over the solid minute it takes for him to spit the words out. “Let’s go play some volleyball, Tobio-chan.”

“Fine, Sh… Shou-chan.”

His blush thoroughly undeniable this time, Kageyama breaks into a sprint. For just a second, Hinata reels from the shock, but then a grin slowly spreads across his face as he sprints after Kageyama, bouncing and yelling “Tobio-chan!” over and over.

\---

A few years later, by the time Hinata and Kageyama are on the same team once again in the Tokyo Olympics, it’s become a running joke among volleyball fans how often Hinata Shoyo is shown on the news shouting his love to his teammates. In addition to the clip of him and Miya Atsumu from a few years back, a video of him and setter Kageyama Tobio has gone insanely viral.

It compares two clips, the first from their third year at Karasuno, where Hinata is on one knee in the gym, holding out a volleyball to Kageyama and saying “Kageyama-kun, I love you, will you please play volleyball with me forever?” as Kageyama screams, “Hinata you dumbass!”

The second shows Hinata fully hanging off of Kageyama’s front, arms around his neck, singing “I love you Tobio-chan! Be my setter forever!” while Kageyama tries to push him off, yelling, “Shoyo you dumbass!”

**Author's Note:**

> im not confident with writing AT ALL so if i can get 1 kudo and 1 comment i will be really really happy~ constructive criticism is also always welcome <3 also this is 100% unedited and unbetad i just vomited the words out in one sitting so if you catch some error i'll do my best to correct it!!!
> 
> please scream with me about haikyuu on tumblr @hitoka-yacchi i don't post much but i'm always checking


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